Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of milk or milk product
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-14
2001-08-28
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of milk or milk product
C426S042000, C426S043000, C426S580000, C426S583000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280781
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to kitchen appliances, and more particularly to a machine for automatically preparing any one of yogurt, soft frozen yogurt, hard frozen yogurt and cheese, at home.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
Because of its taste and nutritional value, yogurt has been an increasingly popular food product. Many brand name yogurt products are available to the consumer in supermarkets. Traditionally, and because of the expense of these products, some consumers attempt to make yogurt at home. Warming devices for making yogurt at home are available and are discussed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,368 to Faivre et al. describes an electrically heated yogurt-making machine having an enclosure containing a receptacle into which boiled milk and a yogurt starter is placed. The enclosure contains an electrical heating element and a fusible material (wax) which is adapted to be heated to a melting point by the heating element. Heat from the melted wax is transferred to the milk container. The purpose of the wax is to provide a thermal mass exhibiting a temperature plateau at or near the optimum for incubating the bacteria used to transform the milk to yogurt.
The yogurt making process requires that the yogurt mix incubate relatively undisturbed for a somewhat unpredictable number of hours until the desired consistency and acidity is achieved. More frequent disturbance results in curdling of the milk product and the formation of cheese. If too high a temperature is employed, it accelerates the process to the point where it is difficult to catch the end-point where consistency and flavor are at their optimum. Traditional, home-based, room temperature yogurt techniques are slow, sometimes taking as long as 12 hours. The room temperature yogurt process does, however, offer the advantage of allowing it to be checked at reasonable intervals so that the incubation process might be terminated at or near its optimal point by initiating cooling. The incubation process can be accelerated to only about four hours by providing a warm environment for the yogurt mix, but if the optimal point is not detected accurately, the yogurt becomes more acidic and less palatable. Thus, considerable operator attention and care is required with prior art warming apparatuses.
The yogurt making appliances of the present invention obviate these problems. Specifically, the yogurt making machines of the present invention require no operator intervention or monitoring during the reasonably rapid, heating, cooling and warmed incubation process. The warming is automatically stopped at the desired point in the process with refrigeration being initiated automatically to terminate further incubation.
A further object and advantage of the present invention is that the same machine can be used to facilitate the preparation of frozen yogurt and ice cream as well as both cultured and artificially curdled cheese products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The yogurt making appliances constructed in accordance with the present invention are particularly adapted for use in the home to automatically make yogurt, hard and soft frozen yogurt or ice cream and cheese products. There are at least six possible embodiments of these devices. The first, motor and detent (magnet) on top, is claimed in the above-referenced U.S. application and in European Union patent application 08/3043720. A second embodiment, motor and detent on the bottom, the third, motor on top and detent on the bottom, the fourth, motor on the bottom and detent on top, the fifth, motor and detent on the bottom with a center post and the sixth, motor on the bottom and detent on top with a center post, are described in the present specification.
The first embodiment, motor and detent on top, has an insulated container having a base and peripheral side walls defining a non-circular cross-section and an open top through which milk or dried milk and water is added to a yogurt starter, usually yogurt from the supermarket or a remanent of a previous batch.
One or more of (i) either the peripheral side walls, (ii) the base of the insulated container, and/or (iii) the paddle member have embedded therein or otherwise support an electrical or other warming element, such as a reversible, thermoelectric heating and cooling device and/or a nicrome filament that is adapted to apply warming to the contents of the container.
A cover member is configured to fit atop the peripheral side walls in covering relation to the open top of the container. The cover member includes at least one vent hole formed therethrough, along with a centrally located hole that is adapted to receive a paddle support shaft therethrough. The paddle support shaft has a rotating paddle secured to its lower end and the shaft for the paddle is sufficiently long so that when the paddle is disposed within the yogurt or cheese mix in the container, the shaft will pass upwardly through the central hole in the cover member.
Also disposed about the paddle support shaft and positioned atop the cover member is a rotatable occluding means for selectively covering and opening the vent hole(s) in the cover member. The means for selectively occluding and opening the vent hole(s) is releasibly secured to the cover member by a detent, such that a predetermined force must be applied to the vent hole occluding means before it is able to move relative to the cover member.
Finally, at least one drive motor with a built-in gear reduction transmission is affixed to the vent hole occluding means for rotating the paddle support shaft and paddle relative to the stationary container to periodically test the contents in the container. When the paddle stalls due to gelling and thickening of the contents, the motor then causes the occluding means to move from a vent hole occluding position to an open position. The motor is adapted to be driven either with predetermined duty cycles or continuously, dependent on the product being made.
Shifting of the occluding device from the covering position to the open position also triggers a switch, shutting off the motor, timer and the warming element and activating a cooling element. Alternatively, if the optional vent cover is not utilized, then cooling can rapidly occur if the device is disposed in a household refrigerator with its electrical cord extending out past the conventional, soft, door seal gasket used in most refrigerators.
The culturing container may, as an option, contain a double walled freezing bowl having a cylindrical, microwave heatable stainless steel interior wall and a non-cylindrical outer wall when preparing frozen yogurt.
The second embodiment has its motor and detent beneath a rotatable, un-insulated, non-circular culturing container. A double walled freezing bowl having a microwave heatable stainless steel inner wall may be enclosed within the culturing container and both disposed within an insulated chamber, consisting of a housing, base and cover. The housing also supports a fixed, downwardly directed, heatable paddle that extends into the mix. The base incorporates an air vent opening and/or an electrical or other warming element, such as a reversible thermoelectric warmer/cooler, with fans, mounted therein. A centrally located hole is formed through the base that is adapted to receive a drive shaft therethrough from a motor mounted on a rotatable occluding member. A gear reduced electrical motor is carried by the occluder for driving the culturing container. The occluding member is movable from a first position in which the air vent in the base is occluded to a second position in which the air vent opening is uncovered. The movement occurs when the consistency of the product being produced, as tested by the container motion, increases the resistance of the container to rotation relative to the stationary paddle. The means for selectively occluding and opening the vent hole is releasibly secured to the base member by a detent, such that a predetermined force must be applied to the ven
Nikolai Mersereau & Dietz, P.A.
Wong Leslie
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